Upper Arlington attorney killed in fall while hiking

A 47-year-old Upper Arlington attorney died this week when she fell from a cliff while hiking through Zion National Park in Utah.

Lucas Sullivan, The Columbus Dispatch

A 47-year-old Upper Arlington attorney died this week when she fell from a cliff while hiking through Zion National Park in Utah.

Cheri B. Hass fell about 100 feet from a steep cliff while leading a group of hikers in the park on Thursday, a spokeswoman for the National Park Service said.

A helicopter was being sent in latetonight to recover her body.

Hass was trying to navigate a treacherous stretch of a 2.5-mile, seven- to nine-hour hike at about 3 p.m. when she slipped and fell out of view, according to the park service.

Her boyfriend was on the hike and tried to help her while others in the group phoned for help.

Hass was a partner with the law firm Fishel, Hass, Kim, Albrecht, LLP, where she’d been a litigator since 1995, according to the law firm’s website. The website notes that Hass had hiked the Grand Canyon four times.

Members of the law firm and Hass’ family couldn’t be reachedtonight.

Franklin County Prosecutor Ron O’Brien said he knew Hass well and that she was a “wonderful person and a great lawyer.”

“I ran with her because I’m a runner and she was a runner, and more recently she got into hiking and climbing,” he said. “She sent me a message actually earlier this week from the Grand Canyon where she was hiking and then I heard she had died. It’s just so unfortunate.”